Baxter fumes at TMO

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter criticised the television match official after his side's 30-8 Aviva Premiership defeat by Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.

Baxter was angry after the TMO ignored some foul play during the build-up to the second of winger Adam Thompstone's hat-trick of tries on his first start for his new club since moving from London Irish in the summer.

After fly-half Ignacio Mieres had knocked on on his own line, he was taken out off the ball by Leicester number eight Thomas Waldrom ahead of a 46th-minute try which gave Leicester a 23-3 lead and Baxter said: "It's very easy to say it has had an effect on the try. He (Mieres) has knocked on and as he goes to chase the ball he is taken out off the ball."

He added: "What is it if it's not foul play and has not had an effect? To me that's why we have TMOs. Any team in the country would say that if he knocks on, the reason he can't chase the ball is because someone takes him out around the neck."

TMOs have been given more licence this season to look for foul play in the build-up to tries and Baxter said he had spoken to referee Tim Wigglesworth after the game.

He added: "He said the TMO was looking at it and if he sees anything he can tell me."

Baxter said Exeter, who were bidding for their third consecutive win over Leicester, did not deserve to get anything out of a game Leicester dominated.

"That was one issue in a game where in various areas we were not good enough," he said. "I am not running away or making excuses for the result.

"We gave away too many loose penalties, our set-piece wasn't good enough and we did not take our chances.

"There's a lot of things for me to look at other than a TMO decision."